Eastern Kille Distillery, established in 2014, broke ground on a new headquarters, production facility, bar and restaurant in a suburb just north of Grand Rapids, Mich., at 7755 Childsdale Ave NE in Rockford, Mich.
The new site includes 3,980 square feet for the restaurant and 7,970 square feet for the distillery. The project is slated to cost $4.2 million and the distillery anticipates creating 15 new jobs.
“It’s exciting to watch the plans come to life,” said Steve Vander Pol, co-owner of Eastern Kille Distillery. “This facility allows us to nearly triple production and continue to expand and age our award-winning barrel portfolio. We remain committed to producing and aging all whiskey on site from grain, never sourcing our whiskey.”
Eastern Kille produces a wide range of spirits but focuses primarily on bourbon and rye whiskey. Leading sales for the distillery are their Michigan Straight Bourbon Whiskey and Michigan Straight Rye Whiskey.
The new distillery is set on 16 wooded acres intended to highlight the natural setting’s impact on whiskey production. It will feature a full kitchen and an extensive cocktail garden in the woods.
“The kitchen and customer experience space features incredible views into the natural setting and draws inspiration from Japanese and modern Scandinavian architecture,” shared Vander Pol.
The White Pine Trail, a 92-mile hiking and biking trail, borders the distillery property. It features a path through the woods connecting the trail to the outdoor cocktail garden offering customers a way to reach the distillery and interact with the local environment.
The groundbreaking comes on the heels of September 1, 2022, opening their newest tasting room on Wealthy Street in Grand Rapids. Their current production facility and tasting room located at 700 Ottawa in downtown Grand Rapids was sold but will be open to the public and operating through September 30, 2023.
“This expansion marks another milestone in the growth of Eastern Kille. We plan to continue our investment in West Michigan to meet the growing demand of our customer base here. Across Michigan and beyond,” said Vander Pol.
